The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-17
AT. ST. ANTHoNY's SHRINE.
A Remarkable Feast-Day Celebration
in PENNSYLVANIA

| q remarkable F6aSt-D3y Celebration
in Pennsylvania.
The New York World prints the follow
ing dispatch from Pittsburg, Pa. For years
the Church of the Holy Name, on Troy Hill,
Allegheny, of which the Rev. Mr.. Mollin-
ger has been pastor for more than twenty
years, has been place to which the afflicted
of all denominations have made pilgrim
| ages. The numberlesS cures which have
| been ascribed to the intercession of St. An
thony, have caused the fame of the church
to spread to every part of the country.
| To-day is the feast day of the patron
saint. For several days hundreds of the
afflicted have been arriving on trains and
other conveyances TO take part in the OBJ
servance of the day and to appeal to the
saint for relief from their ills From day
| light to-day the roads leading to Troy Hill
were thronged with people in carriages and
on foot, hurrying to the church as best they
could, so as to get within the auditorium. 1t
was pathetic sight, but there was not one
among the throng who did not seem buoyed
up by the thought that relief from bodily
ills was at the summit of the hill overlook
ing the Allegheny river. 1t is estimated
that between 5000 and 1900 persons were
present for the high mass, which was recited
at 1880 O'Clock.
The church has seating capacity of about
| 1000, but by 10 O'Clock fully l,200 were in
the building. The members of the congre-
| cation attended services earlier in the morn
ing, and during the rest of the day the
church was given up to the strangers and
the afflicted
| The services lasted from 10 to O'Clock
| and two sermons were preached, in addition
to which Father Mollinger made q brief
address in English on the life and services
of st. Anthony. A life-size statue of the
saint occupied place III the sanctuary. AT
| 3 o'clock vespers and benediction were held
in the private chapel of Father Mollineer,
which he built with his own means at a cost
| of $4,000. OF this chapel writer in the
| June number OF one of the church magazines
says:
On one of the high hills of Western Pennsyl.
vania overlooking the Allegheny river stands an
exquisite little chapel unique wonderful, costly,
| magnificent. 1t was built by devoted priest
out of his own Inherited wealth to do honor to
| the relics of the saints. 1t would read like an
| extract from the Arabian Nights" did ven
| ture a full description of this astonishing work
of private devotion. We may safely say there
| is nothing like it in America. Thousands of
precious relics caSed in crystal, silver and gold
line the walls in incrustations of carving and
| gilt from the floor to the dome. Light streams
| from above, and the walls are hidden by actual
| mosaics of reliQuaries iE every shape the imagi-
1 nation could picture. ShriRes are erected on
| every side and lifc-siZe figures of exquisite
workmanship of martyred saints lie beneath
! them, displaying the wounds of their martyr
| dom to the reverent wonder and devotion of the
| spectator. Urns and walls centuries old, some
of them containing sacred relics taken from the
| catacombs or the crypts of ancient shrines in
| the Old World, are here all covered with costly
plate-glass. Tie precious authorizations of
| these relics, soma crImbling with age, are in
| closed in the fire proof cafes of this wonderful
| chapel. How thesd relics were obtained and
! the account of their accumulation would form a
| history of itself.
| Looking at the enthusiastic eccesiastic as he
| points out the beautiful statue of st. Anthony,
| the good old man (Rev. Father Molllnger), with
| his long white beard. his black skull cap and
| loose cOssack, his whole face aglow with fervor
| and animation one cannot help catching some
| of the enthusiasm and devotion as he laleels to
| kiss the relics of st. Anthony. Should you ever
| go TO Pittsburg cross the river to the twin city
| and ask any one you meet to show you the way
| to Troy Hill. If it happens to be on June IS
| (the birth of St. Anthony of Padua), the throng
of devout people ascending the road to the
| Chapel of Relics will point out the way without
| further inquiry. The chapel is said TO contain
more relics than any other outside of Rome.
That wonderful cures have been made
here there are many who will gladly bear
witness. Father Mollinger generally re.
quires that Catholics shall pray to the saint
daily, while those who are not members OF
the church are required to abstain from
meat on Friday and do some other simple
penance. Father Mollinger never takes a
| fee